Reprocessing nuclear fuel supercritical carbon dioxide

Wai, C.M. Reprocessing spent nuclear fuel with supercritical carbon dioxide, ACS Symposium Series 933 (2006) 57-67. 

It is apparent from the foregoing discussion that both ILs and supercritical carbon dioxide do indeed offer promise as alternative solvents in the reprocessing of spent nuclear fuel and the treatment of nuclear wastes. It is equally apparent, however, that considerable additional work lies ahead before this promise can be fully realized. Of particular importance in this context is the need for an improved understanding of the fundamental aspects of metal ion transfer into ILs, for a thorough evaluation of the desirability of extractant functionalization of ILs, and for the development of new methods for both the recovery of extracted ions (e.g., uranium) and the recycling of extractants in supercritical C02-based systems. Only after such issues have been addressed might these unique solvents reasonably be expected to provide the basis of improved approaches to An or FP separations. 

Wai, C. M. Reprocessing spent nuclear fuel with supercritical carbon dioxide. In Separations for the Nuclear Fuel Cycle in the 21st Century, ed. G. J. Lumetta, K. L. Nash, S. B. Clark, and J. I. Friese, American Chemical Society, Washington, DC, 2006, pp. 57-67. 

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